Combination dispensing and bulk reducing device



Aug. 9, 1949. J. M-FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1945S'Sh'eets-Sheet l INVENTOR. JUL/USMFORMfi/V hi,sA Zforney.

A 9, 9- Y J. M. FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION IIISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE 7 Filed Feb. 20, 1945 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

' JUL/US MFO/ZMfl/V 1949- J. M. FORMAN 2,478,815

COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK REDUCING DEVICE Filed Feb. 20, 1945 3Sheets-Sheet 3 I IN VE N TOR. Jl/L ll/J M FORM/4A BY 5 I.

106,5 Attorney.

paper towels, have found .universal use,

Patented Aug. 9, 1949 COMBINATION DISPENSING AND BULK 1 REDUCING DEVICEJulius M. Forman, Brooklyn, N. Y.; George Robert Forman administrator ofsaid Julius Forman, deceased This invention relates broadly todispensing devices, and particularly to combination devices fordispensing utilitarian'articles and for reducing the bulk of dispensedarticles after their use, and is especially applicable to toweldispensing devices including means for disposing of used towels andcompressing them to reduce their bulk.

Towel cabinets, mainly those for dispensing They, however, present avexing problem arising from the disposal of used towels. Open containersare usually. provided for their reception. When these containers arefilled, they are to be removed,

emptied and replaced. Very often these containers become filled sorapidly, that before they may be removed, emptied and replaced wastetowels will litter the premises where the towel cabinet is located,since the towel users seldom take the trouble of reducing the bulk ofwaste towels by compressing them in the containers.

Speaking broadly, the prime object of the present invention is toprovide a combination article dispensing and a used article receivingdevice, the portion for the reception of used articles being equippedwith means for automatically reducing the bulk of used articles,preparatory to their disposal.

A specific object of this inventionis to provide a towel dispensingcabinet having towel supply means adapted to deliver at one time freshtowel .material sufficient for one application or a single use, saidcabinet including a receptacle for waste or used towel material, andwhich receptacle is provided with means for automatically com- 7pressing such used towel materialwithin the restoring and dispensingfresh towel material and a receptacle for storing and having means tocompress used towel material, and wherein said compartment'includesmeans for making ready for delivery a fresh towel material element of asize suilicient for a single application or use, and other means forejecting such element from the compartment, and wherein said receptaclefor used towel material isprovided with a closable insert opening forused material and a comp on, platio,rm;.enu pped1w th an oper velid forclosing the insert opening, and which platform is adapted, when the'lidis in its closing position, to automatically bear against and tocompress used towel material Within the receptacle, the closing of thelid and the pressure movement of the platform preceding, in the statedsequence, the delivery of fresh towel material.

The foregoing and numerous other important objects and advantages of thepresent invention will become more fully understood from the followingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a front view of one form ofa towel cabinet according to thepresent invention;

Fig. 2 is asection taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. lisa similar'viewlto that of Fig. 2 with the towel compressingplatform lowered and the towel delivery mechanism in towel dischargingposition;

Fig. 5 is atop view, partially in section, along line 5-5 of Fig. 2,with portions of the mechanism removed; a I) Fig. 6 is a perspectiveview of a towel element as used in connectionwith cabinets shown in theprevious figures;

Fig. 7 is a vertical sideielevation in cross section through acabinet'similar to that shown in Fig. 2, with atmodifiedope'ratingmechanism;

Fig. 8 is aifragmental-front elevation, partially in section, of thecabinet shown in Fig. 7

Fig. 9 is :a fragmentalvertical cross sectional view through stillanother modified form of the cabinet for'use ;in connection with single,plain towel sheets rand I Fig. 10 ,is a fragmental top View, partiallyin crosssection, of the towel cabinetshown in Fig. 9 with the ,topthereof removed I Referring now specifically to Figs. 1 to 6, in-

,clusive, the illustrated towel cabinet includes two ,superimposedcompartments, a smaller. upper ment I!) there is provided a framework ofangle bars it extending. upward from a fixed'horizcntal partition H.Guided by, and. operative within the framework-is agmovable support isfor the receptio of; asters-p ..tcwel.;,mater al elem nt I9 made ofpaper tissue and shown in detail in Fig. 6, and comprising elongated,preferably rectangular sheets of towel tissue paper, the short ends 20of which are folded along lines 2| and are turned against each other sothat their inner faces rest against the body of the towel element, asindicated in broken lines in that figure.

Towel support I8 is intended to automatically move in upward direction,as the stack of towel elements diminishes, for which purpose a conicallyshaped spiral spring 22, resting upon partition l1, bears against thelower face of support 18 and urges the latter upwards.

Framework IE not only serves for guiding towel support l8 but also forguiding the stack of towels resting thereon. The upper ends of frontframe members It are cut at an angle as shown at H in Fig. 3, to renderfree only one of the towel elements, that is the uppermost element forits future removal, as will be presently explained.

Lower compartment intended for the reception of used or waste towelmaterial, constitutes a spacious receptacle provided with a generouswaste towel insert opening 23, preferably flanged by arcuated sidemembers 24. Between these side members operates a lid 25, which isnormally in open position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2. This lid isadapted to close insert opening 23 and forms an operative extension ofpressure platform 26 arranged in receptacle H. The platform is intendedto move in downward direction against discarded towel material placedinto the compartment, but its actuating mechanism is so arranged hat theplatform cannot operate until lid 25 closes insert opening 23 in themanner indicated in full lines in Fig. 4. At the front of compartment Nthere is provided a door structure 21 which may be unlocked and swungopen for the removal of compressed waste towel tissue.

Within the cabinet there is provided a combination mechanism foroperating platform 26 and for dispensing a single towel element from thetop of the stack of elements superimposed upon support 3. Thiscombination mechanism is preferably actuated from without the cabinet byeither a suitable hand lever 28, or a foot-operated instrumentality, notshown, the latter being employed when the cabinet is intended to beplaced on the floor. With lever 28 or its equivalent is associated anoperating shaft which may be of the straight shaft type, such asemployed with the construction shown in Figs. '7, 8 and 9, wherepartition I1 is disposed above the fulcrum of the lever, or may assume acrank form 28', as is the case in the construction shown in Figs. 1 to5. In either case the operating elements controlled by the shaft andlever 28 or its equivalent are symmetrically disposed near each side ofthe cabinet.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 5, these,

operating elements comprise gear racks 29 in the form of channels, whichlatter are guided along vertical rods 30 extending from the bottom ofreceptacle II to about midway of compartment ID. A vertical partition30' extends between the side walls of the cabinet adjacent to frontalguide angle bars l6, and secured to the inner face and near the upperedge of that partition, just above gear racks 29, are brackets 30" forsecuring in place the upper ends of rods 30. These gear racks areengageable by gear segments 3| keyed to shaft 28'. Also keyed to theshaft is a lever combination 32 composed of short lever 33 and anL-shaped longer lever 34, which latter terminates in a transverseengaging pin 35. Suepended at 36 from the top and about the middle ofcompartment ID are levers 31 provided with broadened ends from whichextend two parallel pins 38. Between these pins are engaged legs 39 ofan inverted U-shaped ejector lever 40 pivoted at 4|. The top or crossmember 42 of this U- shaped lever serves as a hinge support for a towelejector 43 in the form of a plate which is adapted to engage anindividual towel element by one of its bent-down flaps or ends 20, asindicated in Fig. 4. Levers.3'lv are normally urged by springs 44towards the back of the cabinet, and take with them, by means of pins38, U-shaped ejector lever 4|], thereby normally keeping ejector 43 inrearward position against the back of the cabinet, at which position itis ready to engage and move forward another towel element when handlever 28 is operated and actuates lever combination 32.

It will be noted from Figs. 2 and 4 that gear segment 3| is so arrangedin respect to lever 34 of lever combination 32 that before that lever isbrought from its full-line position shown in Fig. 2 to the full-lineposition shown in Fig. 4, the segments operate gear racks 29 and movethem nearly to the lowermost point of their travel. During the movementof lever 34 from its broken line position in Fig. 4 to its full-lineposition, gear segment 3| brings gear rack 29 to its lowermost position,and at that moment ejector lever 40 is moved to its outermost positionas towel ejector 43 delivers the towel to without the cabinet.

Gear racks 29 are fixedly united at 45 with platform 26, which latter isnormally supported in elevated position by at least two helical springs46 operative upon guide rods 30. The tension of these springs may beadjusted by the adjustment of collars 41.

Lid 25, normally swung open when platform 26 is in its uppermostposition, is pivoted at 48. Fixedly associated with lid 25 is a slottedlever 49, in the slot of which operates a pin 50 passing through theforked end 5| of bell lever 52, which is pivoted at the side edge ofplatform 26 at 53 and from which pivotal point extends short leg 54 ofhell lever 52. The free end of lever leg 54 terminates in an open fork55. The movement of bell lever 52 is limited by suitable stops 54 withwhich leg 54 alternately contacts.

Adjustable upon lever 52 is a collar 56 to which is attached one end ofan over-center spring 51, its other end being held by pin 58. Fork 55 isadapted to be operated by lever 33 of lever combination 32, and due tothe arrangement of overcenter spring 51, the movement of bell lever 52will be assisted when it is swung by lever 33 and fork 55 to either ofthe two full line positions shown in Figs. 2 and 4. By this movement ofthe levers lid 25 is brought either to an open or closed position.

It will be noted from Fig. 2 that before gear segment 3| engages gearrack 29 lever 33 swings bell lever 52 from the full line position intothe dotted line position, which latter corresponds to the full lineposition in Fig. 4. Thus lid 25 is brought to a closing position beforeplatform 26 commences its downward or pressure movement. In other wordsnot only the surface of the platform, but also the area of the lid isemployed for compressing waste towel material within compartment I I.Similarly, after platform 26 reverts to its uppermost position, belllever 52 is operated by lever 33 to swing lid 25 to its open position.

In the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5,and also in the modified form disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, a paper toweleleme t s ch as shown n h s 61s preierabiy employ However. any.- o her.type of towel elem nts may e c nven ently substituted. in which case t eon t ucti n of the towel ejec or may h v t be a t red. In F gl l ctor4311s shown to engage the edge of, the folded flap .20, however theejector may be so arranged that it will slip between the flap and thebody of the towel material and will engage the latter along folding line2i with practically the same ultimate effect.

Referring now to the modified form disclosed in Figs. 7 and 8, thecabinet again is composed of an upper compartment Ill and a loweroompartment or receptacle It, for accommodating waste towel tissueinserted through opening 23. The exterior appearance and arrangement ofthis embodiment is very similar to that illustrated in Fig. 1, the onlychanges being found in the interior operating mechanism. Attention isdirected to fixed partition I1, the counterpart of partition 5?, whichis placed somewhat higher than the latter and which serves for theattachment thereto at 59 of guide rods 60, along which operate guidesleeves 6i secured topressure platform 62; the latter being normallysupported by helical springs 53. Pressure platform 62 is again equippedwith an operative lid 64 which isadapted to close insert opening 23-- ofreceptacle ll. Lid is pivoted at (5'5, from which pivot extends. a

slotted lever 55 secured to the lid. The slot of the lever is engagedby. pin; 61 on bell lever 88', the short leg 69 of which terminates in aforked end it. An over-center spring; device H, in engagement with pin61 isadapted to; swing lid 8% to either its opening or closing positionwhen bell lever 68 is actuated.

The movement. of platform 62 in downward direction is induced bytheoperation of a symmetrically disposed pair of arcuate pressure levers72, one at each side of the cabinet. These levers-are secured to anoperating shaft 13* extending from side to side of the cabinetand'projecting through one side. thereof. The projecting shaft extensioniscngaged by the hub of hand operated lever is, or an equivalent foot,lever, not shown. Keyed tothe shaft is also lever 'liwhichengages: forkend iii of the short leg portion 69 of-the bell lever. The shaft carriesanother lever 16 which is adapted to engage a lever combination 1'!byway of pin 18, extending from short lever 19 of that levercombination. From longer lever 80 of the latter projects pin 81, whichis intended 'to engage ejector lever 82 of theaforedescribedinverted'U-shapecl construction." Lever combination TI- is pivoted at 83 whileejector lever 82- is pivoted at 534. The upper connecting bar 85 0?ejectorlever 62 serves as pivot for ejector plate-.86.

It is to be noted that thedownwardly-directed flange of partition I!serves. as supportforpivots as and M of, respectively;thebell'combination i7 and ejector lever 82; andithat-operating' shaftis is mounted below that partition.

Resting upon partition Il" is-a conicaltspring 6'5 which bears against.the under. surface: of movable towel support; 88, which is. guided in aframework-consisting of 'uprightangles 89 welded to partition H1. Theseangles alsoguide towel support 88 as well; as t'owelelements l9 restingupon the support. The frontand' rear guide angles 89 a in y bra e 89.. E8.

Attention is. again; invited tostheupperiend of front angle 89in Fig; 8;the -.front web ofrwhich is tapered at 90 so thatwonly the. uppermost.towel element; may; be dispensed; bye. elector. 86. The

6 ejector leverarrangement 82 is normally held in its full line positionby a spring 9|.

From the arrangement of platform pressure lever '52, lid operating lever15, ejector actuating lever i6 and the bell lever arrangement 68 forclosing lid 6d, it will beob-served that when shaft #3; is operated byhand lever 14, first lever 15 will actuate the bell lever arrangement 68and bring lid 6:; to a closing position; thereupon pressure lever 12will engage the top of pressurev platform 62 and depress the latter tothe position indiecated in broken lines. When platform 62 is. fullydepressed, then lever, 16. will, engage pin 18 of lever combination 11,whereupon: pin 8i of lever so will propel ejector lever 82. in outwarddirec-,- tion to the position shown in broken lines in Fig; '7, at whichmoment ejector will deliver the topmost towel element; to without: thecabinet. When hand lever M is released the ejector mechanism will assumeits full-line position.first,fbe:- fore pressure platform 62 will riseto its full-line position, whereupon lid 64 is brought again to itsopening position by lever 15.

Another embodiment of the present invention will be found in Figs. 9 and10, wherein towel support 92 is of substantially awedge-likeconstruction, with its towel element supporting surface 93 beinginclined. In consequence of that incline, towel elements 94 are alsoinclined. The rest of the structure, inoluding'the ejector levers andthe mechanism for compressin the platform in the lower compartment, notshown, remains substantially the same as-that explained in conheotionwith the structure seen in Figs. 7 and 8, th only exception being thetowel ejector and the shape of the towel elements 94.

These elements constitute; preferably plain sheets of towel tissuewhich;are: intended to: be frictionally engaged by ejector 95. The latter ispivoted on bar 95 and is provided at its front end with a frictionmember 91. Thatmember normally reposes by gravity upon the uppermosttowel element of the stackof towels carried'bysupport 92. Associated.with ejector S5 is a stop r lever 98 adapted to alternately contact backstop 99 and front stop lt ll. When-hand lever lill is actuated, firstthe mechanism for. depressing the pressure platform in lower compartmentH. op.- erates in themanner described inrconnectior-r with: Figs. 7 and8, whereupon leverlli. comes into en'-- gagement with lever combinationI! and causes; ejector lever N32 to move ,to its dotted lineaposi tion.During this movement of ejector lever 32 friction member 91' causes theejection of a'toweli element in the manner shown in broken lines in Fig.9.. The towel element is'propelled about :half way to; without thecabinet-,xand when" in that position stop lever 98 engagesfrontstop miand swings ejector 95 upwards; and: awayvfrom the ejected. towelelements, thus: freeing thelatter;

Referring nowto Fig. 10,.secured' tobar QB -are adjustable collars N33and: loose'collars' it, and between. the collarsare: provided. springswhich urge loose collars-I04 againstthe hubs of ejector 95. Thus when:front-stop lllll: causes ejector 95, to assume its upswing; broken 2line position, shown at the right-hand upper corner of Fig. 9, collars[04 will retain the ejectonin'that elevated position untilejector'lever' l IlZrevertsto its full-line position.At-thattmomentistopt lever 98; abuts with stop pin 99 whereby:thetejector: is caused to swing down1andinto engagement-with: the .next"uppermost towel; element.

In the foregoing description explaining. the dif ferent embodiments: of'thepresenainvention; the

same basic principle prevails, that is the combination of a device fordispensing unused articles with means for reducing the volume of usedarticles, prior to the dispensation of an unused article.

The purpose of illustrating and describing three forms of cabinets, twoforms of towel tissue and a variety of operating mechanisms, manifestlyimplies that the mechanism for ejecting articles, the mechanism forcompressing used articles, and the combination of the two mechanismsoperative in the sequence indicated, are subject to changes,improvements and modifications, and that the type of the articles to behandled, that is compressed and ejected may also vary. For the abovereason it is to be understood that the specific disclosures are by nomeans intended in a restrictive sense, since similar devices may bedesigned for handlin different articles intended to be used anddiscarded and compressed in volume after use.

Summarizing, the present invention resides in the basic principle ofproviding an article dispensing device in combination with volumereducing means for dispensed and used articles, and a combinationmechanism in such device for effecting the delivery of articles for useand for effecting the compression of discarded articles. Thus, while theillustrations presented show a few specific embodiments of the presentinvention, it is to be understood that changes, impro vements andmodifications may be made, without departing from the broad scope of theinvention as claimed below.

I claim:

1. In a towel dispensing device, a cabinet having two compartments, asupply of towel material in one of the compartments, the othercompartment serving for the reception of used towel material, a toweldispensing mechanism arranged within the cabinet and having means fordischarging a sufficient portion of fresh towel material for a singleapplication or use, a compressing mechanism having means for compressingused towel material within said other compartment, common actuatingmeans for both the dispensing mechanism and the compressing mechanism,and means for causing the operation of said compressing mechanism priorto the deliv-: ery of fresh towel material by said dispensing mechanism.

2. In a device for dispensing utilitarian articles including means forreducing the bulk of such article after their use, a cabinet having acompartment for accommodating a supply of unused articles and anothercompartment for the reception of used articles, a combinationcooperating mechanism in the cabinet for dispensing unused articles andfor simultaneously reducing used articles received in the cabinet andbeing operative from without the latter, said mechanism comprising meansfor supporting a supply of unused articles in such a manner as tofacilitate the dispensing of one such article at a time, and means forcompressing used articles prior to dispensing an unused article, andmeans for ejecting a single unused article from said supply of articles.

3. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unusedtowels, a receptacle beneath said compartment and having a closableopening for the reception of used towels, a movable support for a stackof towels in said compartment and means for facilitating the removal ofthe uppermost towel from the stack, means operativefrom without thecabinet for dispensing such uppermost towel one at a time, a movableplatform mounted in said receptacle and having an operative lid forclosing the opening of said receptacle, and a lever mechanism actuatedby said operative means for successively moving said lid to its closingposition and for depressing said platform and the closed lid each timesaid towel dispensing means are operated, thereby compressing usedtowels within the receptacle.

4. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unused towelsincluding a movable support for a stack of towels and means forfacilitating the removal of the uppermost towel from the stack, areceptacle below said compartment and having a closable opening for thereception of used towels, means for compressing used towels in thereceptacle, means for closing said opening, and means, operative fromwithout the cabinet, for simultaneously actuating said closing, saidcompressing and said towel removal means so that before a towel reachesits discharging position, first said closing means and next saidcompressing means become actuated.

5. In a towel dispensing cabinet, a supply compartment for unused toweltissue provided with an opening for the passage to without of a portionof said tissue, means for dispensing such portion of tissue from saidcompartment through said opening, a receptacle directly below saidcompartment for the reception of used towel tissue, means for reducingthe bulk of used tissue within the receptacle, said tissue dispensingmeans being operatively connected with said used towel tissue reducingmeans, and single actuating means for simultaneously operating both ofthese tissue manipulating means.

6. In a towel tissue-dispensing cabinet, as set forth in'claim 10, saidsupply compartment being provided with an operative support for unusedtowel tissue, said support being adapted to place in position forejection an amount of fresh towel tissue sufficient for a singleapplication or use, said towel tissue dispensing means comprising anejector adapted to engage and to propel without the supply compartmentsuch towel tissue for a single application or use; said receptacle beingprovided with a closable opening for receiving used towel tissue, themeans for reducing the bulk of used towel tissue within the receptaclecomprising a movable platform having an operative lid for closing theopening of the receptacle, said platform being adapted to compress thecontents within the receptacle while the lid is in closed position.

7. In a dispensing cabinet for towel tissue in the form of sheets, asupply compartment and a waste receptacle; said compartment containing amovable support for a stack of towel sheets, and a sheet-ejectingmechanism adapted to dispense a single sheet at one time, such sheetbeing the uppermost sheet of the stack, and means operative from withoutthe cabinet for actuating said mechanism;"said receptacle having anopening for facilitating the insertion of used towel sheets, a platformfor compressing used towel sheets in said receptacle and having a lidforclosing said opening; platform actuating means, including a leverarrangement for closing said lid prior to the movement of the platform,said platform actuating means being'operative with, but moving inadvance 'of said sheet electing mechanism, and being adapted to depressthe platform while its lid is closed, thereby compressing waste towelsover the largest possible area. within the receptacle.

8. In a dispensing cabinet for towel tissue, upper and lowercompartments, the upper compartment serving as supply source for freshtowel tissue and comprising a spring-induced, movable and guided tissuesupport; the lower compartment serving as receptacle for used toweltissue and including a spring-supported, depressible platform having amovable lid, the latter bein adapted to close an insert opening for usedtowel tissue provided at the top of the receptacle; an operatingmechanism within the cabinet, actuating means for the mechanism disposedexteriorly to the cabinet, said operating mechanism comprising a levercombination having means for first closing the lid of said platform,other means for moving the latter, while the lid remains in closingposition, against used towel tissue container in the receptacle, thuscompressing the tissue, and still other means for engaging: anddispensing from the upper compartment a single towel tissue element.

9. In a device for dispensing fresh towel tissue REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA Number Name Date 1,657,364 Bartlett Jan. 24, 19281,853,926 Parfett Apr. 12, 1932 2,354,349 Polsen July 25, 1944

